Accelerating microbial iron cycling promotes re‐cementation of surface crusts in iron ore regions

Accelerating microbial iron cycling is an innovative environmentally responsible strategy for mine remediation. In the present study, we extend the application of microbial iron cycling in environmental remediation, to include biocementation for the aggregation and stabilization of mine wastes. Microbial iron reduction was promoted monthly for 10\ua0months in crushed canga (a by-product from iron ore mining, dominated by crystalline iron oxides) in 1\ua0m containers. Ferrous iron concentrations reached 445\ua0ppm in treatments and diverse lineages of the candidate phyla radiation dominated pore waters, implicating them in fermentation and/or metal cycling in this system. After a 6-month evaporation period, iron-rich cements had formed between grains and 20-cm aggregates were recoverable from treatments throughout the 1-m depth profile, while material from untreated and water-only controls remained unconsolidated. Canga-adapted plants seeded into one of the treatments germinated and grew well. Therefore, application of this geobiotechnology offers promise for stabilization of mine wastes, as well as re-formation of surface crusts that underpin unique and threatened plant ecosystems in iron ore regions

Association of the C8orf13-BLK region with systemic sclerosis in North-American and European populations.

Item does not contain fulltextOBJECTIVE: Genetic studies in the systemic sclerosis (SSc), an autoimmune disease that clinically manifests with dermal and internal organ fibrosis and small vessel vasculopathy, have identified multiple susceptibility genes including HLA-class II, PTPN22, IRF5, and STAT4 which have also been associated with other autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). These data suggest that there are common autoimmune disease susceptibility genes. The current report sought to determine if polymorphisms in the C8orf13-BLK region (chromosome 8p23.1-B lymphoid tyrosine kinase), which is associated with SLE, are associated also with SSc. METHODS: Two variants in the C8orf13-BLK region (rs13277113 & rs2736340) were tested for association with 1050 SSc cases and 694 controls of North Americans of European descent and replicated in a second series 589 SSc cases and 722 controls from Spain. RESULTS: The "T" allele at rs2736340 variant was associated with SSc in both the U.S. and Spanish case-control series (P = 6.8 x 10(-5), OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.1-1.4). The "A" allele at rs13277113 variant was associated with SSc in the U.S. series only (P = 3.6 x 10(-4), OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.1-1.6) and was significant in the combined analyses of the two series (P = 2.0 x 10(-3); OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.1-1.3). Both variants demonstrated an association with the anti-centromere antibody (P = 2.2 x 10(-6) and P = 5.5 x 10(-4), respectively) and limited SSc (P = 3.3 x 10(-5) and P = 2.9 x 10(-3), respectively) in the combined analysis. Peripheral blood gene expression profiles suggest that B-cell receptor and NFkappaB signaling are dysregulated based on the risk haplotype of these variants. CONCLUSION: We identify and replicate the association of the C8orf13-BLK region as a novel susceptibility factor for SSc, placing it in the category of common autoimmune disease susceptibility genes.1 maart 201

Treated incidence of psychotic disorders in the multinational EU-GEI study

IMPORTANCE Psychotic disorders contribute significantly to the global disease burden, yet the latest international incidence study of psychotic disorders was conducted in the 1980s. OBJECTIVES To estimate the incidence of psychotic disorders using comparable methods across 17 catchment areas in 6 countries and to examine the variance between catchment areas by putative environmental risk factors. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS An international multisite incidence study (the European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene-Environment Interactions) was conducted from May 1, 2010, to April 1, 2015, among 2774 individuals from England (2 catchment areas), France (3 catchment areas), Italy (3 catchment areas), the Netherlands (2 catchment areas), Spain (6 catchment areas), and Brazil (1 catchment area) with a first episode of nonorganic psychotic disorders (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision [ICD-10] codes F20-F33) confirmed by the Operational Criteria Checklist. Denominator populations were estimated using official national statistics. EXPOSURES Age, sex, and racial/ethnic minority status were treated as a priori confounders. Latitude, population density, percentage unemployment, owner-occupied housing, and single-person households were treated as catchment area-level exposures. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Incidence of nonorganic psychotic disorders (ICD-10 codes F20-F33), nonaffective psychoses (ICD-10 codes F20-F29), and affective psychoses (ICD-10 codes F30-F33) confirmed by the Operational Criteria Checklist. RESULTS A total of 2774 patients (1196 women and 1578 men; median age, 30.5 years [interquartile range, 23.0-41.0 years]) with incident cases of psychotic disorders were identified during 12.9 million person-years at risk (crude incidence, 21.4 per 100 000 person-years; 95%CI, 19.4-23.4 per 100 000 person-years). A total of 2183 patients (78.7%) had nonaffective psychotic disorders. After direct standardization for age, sex, and racial/ethnic minority status, an 8-fold variation was seen in the incidence of all psychotic disorders, from 6.0 (95%CI, 3.5-8.6) per 100 000 person-years in Santiago, Spain, to 46.1 (95%CI, 37.3-55.0) per 100 000 person-years in Paris, France. Rates were elevated in racial/ethnic minority groups (incidence rate ratio, 1.6; 95%CI, 1.5-1.7), were highest for men 18 to 24 years of age, and were lower in catchment areas with more owner-occupied homes (incidence rate ratio, 0.8; 95%CI, 0.7-0.8). Similar patterns were observed for nonaffective psychoses; a lower incidence of affective psychoses was associated with higher area-level unemployment (incidence rate ratio, 0.3; 95%CI, 0.2-0.5). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This study confirmed marked heterogeneity in risk for psychotic disorders by person and place, including higher rates in younger men, racial/ethnic minorities, and areas characterized by a lower percentage of owner-occupied houses